Wishing You Were Here
by Heavenly Pearl
Summary: Princess Lady Serenity wishes she could see Helios on the most romantic night of the year.


Wishing You Were Here

It was nighttime in Crystal Tokyo, the midnight blue sky filled with what seemed like a limitless number of stars that appeared like tiny diamonds against the darkness. A cool mid-February breeze brushed against her bared shoulders as she stood out on her bedroom balcony, causing tiny bumps of gooseflesh to dance up her arms, and in the distance, she could hear the sound of a violin softly playing, most likely a midnight serenade for Sailor Uranus from her long-time partner.

It was the type of night that was so beautiful that it practically begged for romance, appropriate considering that just a little over ten minutes ago, Valentine's Day had officially begun. Unfortunately for Princess Lady Serenity, her Valentine's would be a lonely one, as she didn't have anyone with whom to share it.

Of course, it was by choice, so she knew she really had no right to complain about her lack of a sweetheart. If she so wanted, Serenity was well aware that she could have practically any man in the kingdom she desired. However, her heart already belonged to one man, and she had no intention of betraying him with pointless flings, even if most of the time they could only be together in her dreams.

Sighing, Serenity gave herself a big bear hug in an unsuccessful attempt to ward off the cold. She was beginning to regret not having slipped a robe on over her long satin nightgown before coming outside, but she was far too entranced by the night sky above her and the music of Neptune's violin to even consider heading indoors and going back to bed.

Was he thinking about her right now?

"Small Lady, what are you doing out of bed?"

Serenity involuntarily jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to find her guardian cat perched precariously on the rail of balcony. "Diana!" she exclaimed, hand clutched to her heart. "You nearly scared me to death! What's the big idea? And how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a Small Lady any longer?"

"Forgive me, Your Highness," the gray feline apologized. "I keep forgetting. However, I was worried when I woke up and found you missing. What are you doing out here? And why aren't you wearing a coat or at least a robe? It must be freezing in that flimsy nightgown."

"Maybe a tad," Serenity admitted. She began rubbing her arms, the friction providing a little heat. "I really didn't mean to stay out here so long. I heard Neptune playing the violin down in the garden, so I came out here to listen to a couple of songs. I guess I lost track of time."

"Well, you should go back in before you catch a cold. You don't want to be sick for the Valentine's festivities, do you?"

Serenity shrugged. "What does it matter if I am? It's not like Helios will be able to come," she said, sounding more bitter than she had meant to let on.

"Serenity, you know the priest of Elysion is busy with his duties. I know how much you miss him, but you just can't expect him to be able to cross over to the Earth realm anytime you want, especially on a holiday as important as Valentine's."

The princess rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, I know." Serenity had heard the lecture so many times over the years, she practically knew it by heart. Diana rarely strayed from the script. "But is it so wrong for me to wish that we could spend at least one Valentine's Day together? Is that really too much to ask?"

Instead of answering, the cat hopped down from the rail and started toward the open balcony doors leading back to Serenity's bedroom. "Come on, back to bed."

Sighing, Serenity followed Diana inside and crawled back into her warm, cozy bed, the guardian cat snuggled against her for warmth. It didn't take long for her to fall back to sleep, and soon her mind unconsciously drifted to the world she considered her second home.

She was standing in the middle of a beautiful forest. Large boulders of crystal shot out of the ground, reflecting off a spectrum of colors as the sunlight hit their naturally faceted surfaces, and the lake, as clear as the sky on a cloudless day, looked inviting, the water beckoning her to jump in for a swim.

"Helios," she called out, "are you here? It's me, Serenity."

Her voice echoed throughout the forest, but though she strained to hear, there was no reply. Serenity frowned, wondering where he could be. Helios usually waited for her in the Crystal Forest, and even when he wasn't there, he always appeared when she called. She shouted his name again to no avail.

Serenity was beginning to worry, but just when she was about to leave the forest and head to the temple, she heard the unmistakable sound of hooves. She turned around to see a winged unicorn walking toward her.

"Pegasus!" Happy to see finally see someone, Serenity ran over and threw her arms around the horse's neck. "Where's Helios?" she asked once she pulled away. "Is he coming?"

Pegasus shook his head, then turned to the side to show her the red envelope that had been tied around his midsection. Serenity knew by the temple's golden seal that it was from Helios. Maybe he had planned a romantic rendezvous for them and the letter would tell her where to meet him. Sliding the envelope from underneath the ribbon holding it in place, Serenity tore it open with her fingernail and anxiously read the short note inside.

Her face fell as soon as she read the first couple of lines.

_Dearest Serenity,_

_Happy Valentine's Day, my maiden. I'm sorry I cannot see you tonight, but I am needed here at the temple to pray for the beautiful dreams of lovers on this most romantic day of the year. Please do not come find me as I will not be able to see you. I hope you understand. I'll see you soon._

_Forever yours,_

_Helios_

When she finished reading, Serenity crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it in the lake, fighting the urge to cry. It just wasn't fair! She knew Helios wouldn't be able to cross into the Earth realm for the Valentine festivities, but she had thought they would at least be able to spend a couple of hours together in Elysion like they did every year. Now it looked like she wouldn't even get that.

Almost as if he sensed her disappointment, Pegasus came up behind her and nuzzled her cheek. Serenity forced herself to give him a small smile of appreciation.

"Thanks, Pegasus. I needed that."

Since she didn't have any other plans, Serenity decided to ride around Elysion on Pegasus, who was only too happy to oblige. High above the world of dreams, Serenity could almost forget her feelings of disappointment, the beauty of the land bringing a smile to her lips. Not even the sight of the temple as they flew over could bring her down for long, although she did briefly entertain the idea of ignoring Helios' orders to stay away and surprising him.

However, morning in the Earth realm soon approached, and Serenity was forced to say good-bye to Pegasus. Using the ribbon which Helios had used to secure his letter to the winged unicorn's back, Serenity tied her Valentine's gift to him -- a fancy gold pocket watch which she had wrapped in a pink and red heart-printed handkerchief -- around Pegasus' neck and instructed him to give it to Helios when he had a break from his prayers. Pegasus neighed his understanding, and as she watched the magnificent beast fly back to the temple, Serenity felt herself fading back to the world of the waking.

"Small Lady! Small Lady! Wake up!"

Serenity moaned as she struggled to open her eyes. Why was Diana waking her so early on a weekend? Muttering "I'm not a Small Lady anymore," under her breath, she rolled over on her side and hid her head underneath one of her pillows.

Diana refused to give up, though, continuing to call out her name. After five minutes of the feline's attempt to wake her up, Serenity finally relented and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Diana, this had better be good," she groused, glaring at the guardian cat.

"It is!" Diana insisted, her magenta eyes practically twinkling. "Hurry up and get dressed, Your Highness. You don't want to keep your guest waiting."

"Keep who waiting?" She didn't remember expecting any guests for Valentine's Day.

"It's a surprise."

That was all the cat would say about the matter before running out to her sitting room, causing Serenity to roll her eyes in mild exasperation. Though tempted to go back to sleep, Serenity tossed off her blankets and walked over to her closet to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, she had changed into her usual white iridescent gown with gold trimming and styled her long hair into the traditional odango.

She then entered her sitting room, not knowing who to expect waiting for her. She thought it might be Perle, who occasionally came to visit her, but though her visitor had the fairy's white hair, that was the only similarity they shared.

As cliché as it sounded, her heart literally did skip a beat when the young man sitting with his back turned to her on the couch stood up and turned around to reveal his identity. Thinking that she must still be dreaming, Serenity pinched herself hard on her left arm, her eyes watering from the pain to confirm that she was indeed very much awake.

"H-Helios?" she stuttered. "B-But, how? You're supposed to be in Elysion, praying. Pegasus gave me your letter..."

Stepping forward, her lover smiled and pulled her into a warm embrace. "I wanted it to be a surprise," he confessed. "I received special permission from your father to cross over for the day."

"The entire day? But what about the dreamers? If you're not there--"

"Everything will be fine. I spent all last night at the temple, praying for the beautiful dreams of lovers. That's why I didn't meet you in the forest last night and sent Pegasus instead. That prayer session should be enough to last for the rest of the day."

"Then we can really spend Valentine's Day together?" Serenity asked, her face breaking into a huge smile when Helios nodded. "Oh, Helios!"

"Happy Valentine's Day, my maiden. I love you."

"I love you, too."

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I would have had this up earlier, but I had entered it in a contest and wasn't allowed to post it anywhere until it had ended. Hope you liked it.

Dedicated to my long-distance boyfriend, who I wasn't able to see on Valentine's, unlike Chibi-Usa.


End file.
